How To Write A Really Good Press Release

A press release is sometimes known as a news release and is simply a written statement addressed to the media. It can be used to announce a news item, an event, a promotion, an award, the launch of a new product or services, or for anything really! Journalists will use a press release to generate a feature story; therefore it needs to include all the relevant information to the announcement. Press releases are commonly used in the journalism industry and most reporters will be more willing to go with a story idea if they’ve first had a press release.

When writing a press release it is important to stick to the established structure. First you need a headline. This needs to be brief, clear and to the point. It should sum up the key point of the press release therefore it is really important to get this right. Use this headline to grab the reader’s attention and make them want to read the rest of article. Make sure the font is bold and the headline is normally a larger font than the rest of the article. Think about the most important keywords in the piece and make sure these are featured in the headline.

The body of the text should start with the date and city in which the press release has been written. The first sentence needs to grab the attention of the reader and describe exactly what is happening. Keep the body of the text compact and concise. Don’t use long sentences and stick to the point. Repetition is a no-no; a press release is also no place for jargon or fancy language. Make sure that your first paragraph sums up the press release and consequent copy simply expands on your point. Make sure the press release only deal with the facts and give examples where possible.

Remember the 5 Ws and the H. These are who, what, when, why and how. If your press release doesn’t deal with all these then it needs some work. Try and stick to the formula of headline first, summary or introduction of the news, event or achievements, the product/service, people involved and a concluding summary which mentions the company. A good press release will not be longer than 3 pages and the text should be double-spaced. Make sure your press release is newsworthy; the more newsworthy the more people are likely to read it.

Make sure you include enough information about the company within the press release. This way, journalists can use this information to write about it. Designate a paragraph to describing the company- its policy and achievements. At the end of this section include a link to your company website so people can find out more if they want.

Now you need to tie all the sections together to make the press release flow. Add in all the contact information you can so you are easy to reach. You may be happy to let key people within your business to be contacted directly, if so include their phone numbers and email addresses but if not then provide the details of your media/PR department.

Most professional press releases will follow this uniformed structure so by using this as a guideline, your press release will always look professional. If writing is not your strong point, you can always hire a press release writing service to help you.